Penn State, Pitt, Temple Defend Need for State Funding at Hearing

[JPZenger]

Last edited Thu Feb 23, 2012, 02:53 PM - Edit history (3)

http://www.mcall.com/news/nationworld/pennsylvania/mc-pa-penn-state-20120222,0,3989753,print.story

Excerpts:

"Amid speculation that the Corbett administration is weaning them off public support and pushing them toward privatization, leaders of Penn State, Temple, Pitt and Lincoln universities told a House panel Wednesday that they're still a value for the tax money and, between them, pump billions of dollars into the state's economy. They said the 30 percent ($147.4 million) funding cut the Republican administration has proposed for the four so-called "state-related" universities would have a debilitating effect on programs and staff and could lead them to increase tuition — a step they said they hope to avoid.

"We are seeing the dismantling of a long, long commitment by the commonwealth of Pennsylvania to higher education and its public research universities," said University of Pittsburgh Chancellor Mark Nordenberg ... Nordenberg was the most blunt in his assessment of Gov. Tom Corbett's proposed 2012-13 budget, telling lawmakers that two years' worth of reductions were "pushing us in the direction of being private institutions" that cost more, offer fewer opportunities for students and are less engaged in their communities than public schools.

The panel's Democrats spent most of their allotted time decrying the cuts and their effect on families struggling to make ends meet and on students leaving school under mountains of debt. Last year, all four schools increased tuition: Penn State by 4.9 percent; Temple by 10 percent; Pitt by 8.5 percent for in-state students at its main campus and Lincoln by 6 percent — after lawmakers trimmed Corbett's proposed reductions.

Rep. Steve Samuelson, D-Northampton, said he feared what would happen if Corbett's cuts to the schools were enacted unchanged this year. Then, he added, to laughter from his colleagues, "What does Gov. Corbett want to give up for Lent this year? The state's commitment to higher education."

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This was a state house hearing. Last I heard, the Senate Republicans were still refusing to allow state and state-related universities to present their case before a Senate hearing. Senate Dems said if that happens, the Senate Dems will find a place to hold their own hearings.
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http://www.colorado.edu/pba/peer/0910/appfte.htm

This chart is very illuminating. Even BEFORE Corbett's budget cuts, Penn State had the lowest average appropriation per student and the highest in-state tuition per student of all of its peer public flagship universities. (That chart does not include temporary federal stimulus dollars).

The Penn State system serves 78,000 students, not including the large on-line course enrollments. Corbett is proposing to only provide $163 million of funding. Meanwhile, Rutgers serves 48,000 students, and Christie is proposing to provide $482 million. That is an average of $2,100 for Penn State per student and $10,000 per Rutgers student!

http://www.philly.com/philly/education/20120223_At_Pa__hearing_on_cuts_in_college_aid__Christie_s_added_college_funding_is_praised.html

Excerpt of the above article:

Pitt chancellor Mark Nordenberg "added that there was "a fundamental disconnect" between Corbett's proposed funding cuts for colleges and his desire to have students graduate who can take jobs and remain in the state. In his budget speech this month, the governor made a point to say that funding should be targeted to educational institutions and programs that train students for jobs specific to Pennsylvania.

Penn State president Rodney Erickson noted that the administration's cuts to higher education would push the state-related universities toward privatization, which would result in higher tuition for families already struggling to educate their children.

The college leaders said that if they were to pass on the cut to students, it would amount to significant increases in tuition. At Temple, for example, it would mean a $4,000 hike and at Pitt a nearly $3,000 hike."

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http://www.centredaily.com/2012/02/23/3100716/psu-lobbies-for-support.html

Excerpts:

"Erickson warned that the impact of state funding cuts would hit lower-income students and those at regional campuses particularly hard. At regional campuses, students come from families with median incomes 10 percent lower than the state median and 60 percent of students work at least 22 hours.

“These are the students we’re going to lose as the costs inevitably increase regardless of what we do and as the appropriation goes down,” Erickson said. “And these are people who are absolutely critical to the future of the commonwealth.” “We can’t continue to offer that kind of a tuition break for Pennsylvania residents as the appropriations continue to fall,” he said.

State Rep. Scott Conklin, who sits on the Appropriations Committee, said Corbett’s proposed cuts would be “devastating.” “If you’re going to create jobs in Pennsylvania, there’s two ways you do it,” Conklin, D-Rush Township, said after the hearing. “First off, you invest in infrastructure, new roads and bridges. We’re not doing that. And the second way is to educate young people at an affordable price, and we’re not going to do that.”
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Lt. Gov. Cawley will be speaking in Kutztown in the evening of thursday March 1. I'm really surprised Governor Gashole is not going out to speak at a public university. Instead, he is doing all of his speeches inside factory buildings, with a carefully controlled invited crowd. It reminds me of the way George W. Bush would only give speeches inside military bases or with hand-selected crowds.

Last time Corbett showed up at a college campus (which was a year ago), they felt they needed the riot squad and the State Police on horseback. It was a peaceful protest.

[JPZenger]

1. Pitt Officials Discuss Proposed Budget Slashing

http://pittnews.com/newsstory/pitts-board-of-trustees-discusses-budget-cuts/

Excerpt:

"Chancellor Nordenberg said to the Board that the University gave the state “the highest return on their investment,” pointing to the $800 million in research grants awarded to the University, and 28,000 jobs that Pitt creates in Western Pennsylvania. He urged the state government not to cut Pitt’s funding.

On Feb. 8, Gov. Tom Corbett proposed a 30 percent cut in state appropriations for the next fiscal year to three of the four state-related universities -- Pitt, Temple and Penn State. Last year, Corbett proposed a 50 percent cut in state funding to the state-related universities, but the state passed the budget in June with a 19 percent cut.

The Board went so far as to adopt a resolution that they plan to deliver to Corbett and leading members of both houses of the general assembly from both parties in protest of the proposed cuts. The resolution expresses the Board’s intent to work with “alumni, faculty, staff, students and other friends of the University” to fight against the cuts.

Nordenberg said that if Corbett’s proposed cuts go through, the University’s state funding would be equal to what it was in 1987, while the state budget has tripled in that time span. The funding would also be at the lowest levels adjusted for inflation since the University became state-related school in 1966. “We’re not travelling the path to becoming a private university voluntarily. With each cut, we’re becoming less public and more private,” he said."

[JPZenger]

2. New website organizes efforts to avoid slashing of state funding to U. Pittsburgh

http://www.progress.pitt.edu/

Organized by the Pitt Alumni Association.